Heroes of Maple: The Novelization
by NoxPersona9
Summary: You were all once called Heroes. But that was hundreds of years ago. After all these centuries, you want to reunite again? Even so, you cannot change the fate of this world. ...Now, shall we begin?
1. Act 1: Slumbering Dragon Island

**Hi, everyone! This is a novelization of the events of 'Heroes of Maple'. I originally started writing this when I got back into MapleStory for my friends who don't play the game, and I decided to share it with you guys here! I hope you all enjoy it! :)**

 **Act 1: Slumbering Dragon Island**

* * *

 _Centuries ago, chaos reigned in Maple World. The war against the Black Mage had plunged the world into darkness, but hope remained. Six heroes challenged the Black Mage when all seemed lost. Under Freud's leadership, the heroes sealed the Black Mage - but at a terrible cost. The curse froze them fast in ice, doomed to eternal slumber. Afrien accepted the curse in place of Freud, and before he fell, it is said that they made a promise in their final moments..._

* * *

Afrien collapsed, his glimmering eyes growing heavy. His immense strength had allowed him to travel thus far, but the curse was growing stronger by the minute. His movements were slowing, and his breath was heavy with frost. Freud, his everlasting companion, had braved the flurry of snow and ice for him. Though he was merely a human, Freud possessed a remarkable strength of fortitude, even before their bond. And it was this strength that kept the exhausted Dragon Master from faltering, even when everything he held dear was being wrenched away.

"Freud, my dear friend," Afrien spoke. "I must enter a deep sleep to heal my wounds. I'm afraid it may be centuries before I reawaken."

"Once you fall asleep, I will truly be alone." Freud said. Afrien could feel his master's pain and heartache reverbating through his chest.

"Do not be sad, Freud." Afrien reassured. "This is not the end of our friendship."

"Yes, you're right." Freud said, managing to smile just slightly. If he were able to move his muscles, Afrien might have done the same. It was just like his master to put on a brave front for others' sake, even at a time such as this.

Freud placed a hand on Afrien's snout. The symbol of their Spirit Pact glowed feebly at his touch, warming them both slightly.

"Our descendents will meet again some day," Freud said. "Although the man known as Freud will be all but a memory when that time comes." He paused for a moment to ponder his next words. "Do you think you could deliver a message to them for me?"

"We made an oath of everlasting friendship," Afrien replied. "I will uphold our promise."

"Thank you, Afrien," Freud said, smiling. "I'm glad that I was able to live my life with you in it."

* * *

 _Now, the tale begins anew... told by the descendants of heroes. It begins here, on Turtle Island, where the King of Onyx Dragons sleeps still..._

* * *

A platoon of demon soldiers trudged through the snow. Along with the standard armor, they were garbed in hooded crimson cloaks, which did little to protect them from the icy winds. It had been hours since they left the base, but they could not stay any longer in the treacherous weather.

"I don't see a thing out here," the platoon officer said.

"The guards must have been mistaken, sir," replied one of his soldiers.

The officer nodded in agreement. "Nobody's coming through this blizzard. Not unless they're out of their mind."

The rest of the platoon sighed in relief at the prospect of returning to their warm base. The officer himself shared their sentiment, but perhaps he realized that it was too evident, for he barked, "Anyway, no slacking off! Damien has ordered us to be on high alert."

"Sir, yes sir!" they responded immediately.

Eager to finish their patrol, the troops lined up in formation and followed the officer to their base, which thankfully meant that their faces no longer faced the direction of the icy wind. Whether it was because the blizzard was picking up, or because they were in such a hurry to leave it, they did not notice the abnormal lump of snow that shifted suspiciously.

"They're gone," a deep voice whispered.

From the snow appeared a small, shivering human boy and a large, black-scaled dragon with four golden horns. The boy wore a white shirt with a peculiar blue mark, which matched the glowing mark on the dragon's snout. On his head was a purple headband decorated with dragon wings, which could also be found on his golden wand.

"Master, operation hide-and-seek was a success!" exclaimed the dragon, Mir.

"S-s-speak for yourself," stammered Evan, "I c-c-can't move."

"Don't worry, my fire-breath will warm you right up!" Mir said jovially.

"WHAT?! Are you trying to roast me?" Evan squeaked.

"I was just joking, master," Mir laughed. "Besides, you're just skin and bones. What kind of meal would that be?"

Evan smiled as he patted off the snow from his clothes. He closed his eyes and drew power from his bond with Mir, allowing the dragon's innate heat energies to flood through his body. He was getting quite good at using the power of the Spirit Pact, though he knew that he was nowhere close to unlocking its full potential. Nevertheless, this would suffice for now. His body was back to its normal temperature, and he could now move forward without worry.

The pair trudged forward towards their destination: a small cave in the center of the island. Evan remembered the first time he had arrived on Turtle Island. Though it had only been a few years, Evan felt like it had been centuries. He was only a child - a naive, innocent child who had easily been maniplulated by the Black Wings for his immense, untrained powers. For months, they sent him on missions to fulfill their selfish plans. They told him that all his actions were making a difference - that he was being a hero. In his dewy-eyed idealism, he did not realize that he was being used until the day he arrived on this island. It was Mir who had cleared his vision. Even while he was still a hatchling, Mir possessed the clarity and wisdom of his Onyx ancestors - widson that allowed them to stumble across the truth. Since that day, Evan had done his best to question motivations, uncover hidden agendas, and hear unspoken words. He was a different person now. He was-

"Ah, it's a blizzard! Be careful!" Mir cried, shaking Evan out of his thoughts.

He did not notice that the snow had stopped. Instinctively, he dropped to the ground, planting his face into the snow. Mir wrapped his body around Evan, covering his master's body with his powerful wings. It was just in time: a powerful gust of wind blasted them with the force of a freight train, though Mir's enchanted scales protected them both. When the wind stopped blowing, Mir uncurled himself, and Evan sat up straight. Dozens of monsters were rushing towards them, as though heralded by the strong draft.

"Those are Murukuns!" Evan said. He had recognized the small, fuzzy creatures from when he had visited Aran in her hometown of Rien. Aran had told him that they were weak monsters that she hunted after waking from her icy slumber, sapped of her strength and memories. But something was wrong. "What's with that weird emblem on their heads?" he asked, noticing the red, eye-shaped marks that glowed ominously in the frosty storm.

"It's like they're being controlled by something," Mir said, spreading his wings for battle.

"Their eyes look so menacing," Evan said, raising his wand. He shot a small wind blast at the Murukuns, pushing them away from him. Mir launched himself forward and attacked them with his powerful snout. They advanced forward this way for a few hundred yards, before they were greeted by a second wave. These Murukuns had the same emblem on their heads, but their fur was a mottled grey, which made them stand out in the storm. Evan and Mir met eyes and nodded. The human closed his eyes, drawing strength from their bond to create a golden spell circle around himself. In turn, an invigorated Mir flapped his wings with lightning speed, sending out large discs of wind magic that sliced through the incoming monsters. As if in response, a second icy gust blew towards Evan, knocking the human off his feet.

"The snow storms weren't this bad the last time we were here," Mir said, rushing forward to aid his master. He gently used his mouth to grab Evan's shirt and pulled the human to his feet.

"Something strange is definitely going on here," Evan agreed, dusting the snow off his clothes once again. He shivered and rubbed his hands together in an effort to warm himself. "This blizzard is terrible. I'm cold..."

"How about a little of my flame breath?" Mir said. "Just a little?"

"No thank you!" Evan cried. Mir chortled at Evan's panicked face. Undoubtedly, the terrified boy was thinking back to the first time Mir had attempted to 'help' his master get warm. But a sound wiped the smile from Mir's face. His ears perked up, attempting to pick up the faint sound through the blizzard.

It was feeble at first, but slowly grew lounder and more frantic. "Help! Penguin in peril!" the voice squeaked.

"Master, there's someone over there!" Mir cried. Without thought, Evan hopped on Mir's saddle. Though the wind was far too strong for Mir to carry any extra weight, the dragon was still able to use his wings to shield Evan from the storm as he darted forward on foot. They arrived to find three Murukuns circling a small, battered penguin. They turned to face an enraged dragon, who gave a tremendous roar that sent them scattering. Evan hopped off Mir and helped the penguin to his feet.

"You, sir, are a bona-fide hero!" the penguin exclaimed. He turned and noticed a large black mass through his snow-coated glasses. "Huh? That's one straaange lizard you've got there, buddy."

Irriated, Mir gave a small growl. "Ooh, sorry. Let me just wipe this snow off my glasses..." the penguin said, wiping away the debris. "Eek!" he yelped. "It's a dragon! A scaly, fire-breathing, penguin-eating dragon!"

Mir wanted to roll his eyes at the penguin's dramatics. Nevertheless, he decided to play along with the act. "You know, master," he said cheerfully. "I've always wondered what penguins taste like!"

The penguin yelped, "Don't eat me! I'm sorry!" Amazingly, he got on hs knees and begged, "Nice dragon, friendly dragon!"

Evan laughed and reassured the terrified bird, "Don't worry, he's just joking. Mir likes cheesecake more than he likes meat. Anyways, what's going on here?"

At his words, the penguin stood up and looked at Evan in disbelief. "Who comes to this popsicle of an island without knowing about it?" he asked.

"I know all about this island, believe me," Evan said. "This is the place where Afrien, the King of Onyx Dragons, lives."

"So you DO know about this place, then," the pengiuin said. "I learned about this island from the writings of the great prophets from Rien, who foresaw the great battle between the Heroes and the Black Mage. It was centuries ago when Afrien was injured in the battle. He came here to rest, and has been sleeping ever since. But now that the demons are here, Afrien doesn't have much time!"

Evan looked at Mir in shock. "The demons are from Tynerum, right? We saw a few of them on the island when we arrived. What are they doing all the way out here, when Tynerum is so far away?" he asked.

"They conquered Rien in the blink of an eye, and now they've found the place where Afrien sleeps. They even managed to capture ME! But I'm a wily penguin. I escaped when they weren't looking!" he said proudly.

"That's why we came here," Evan explained quickly. "Mir felt something was wrong because of his connection to Afrien."

"I knew it!" Mir exclaimed excitedly. "Something HAS happened to my ancestor!"

"Are there any other prisoners inside?" Evan asked.

"Yes! A pack of peeved penguins, and our friend Lilin," the penguin said. "They'd better not be hurting her! Why I oughta..."

Perhaps the penguin remembered the limitations of his strength, for his belligerent outcries dropped to a mumble. Evan understood the penguin's sentiment, for he himself had met Lilin during his visit to Rien. She was the one who had discovered Aran emerge from her ice prison, and had taken responsibility for training the amnesiac hero ever since.

The penguin suddenly broke off mid-rant and exclaimed, "But there's not time! Please, you have to help Lilin!"

"Master, we should help them!" Mir said, eager to perform more heroic deeds. Evan smiled and said, "Alright, let's go!"

"Good luck!" the penguin said. "I'll just stay here and make sure the coast is clear."

Evan looked at him in disbelief. "What?! Your friends are in danger and you're just gonna stand around?"

"A pint-sized penguin like me will just get in your way," he explained. "Please, Hero, go save Afrien and Lilin!"

Perhaps it was being addressed as 'Hero' that mollified Evan, for he grinned and said, "You can count on us."

The penguin watched them run towards the large mountains in the distance. He sighed in relief. "Wouldn't wanna be in their boots!" he said to himself. Sdudenly, a realization struck him. "Wait a second. Did that dragon say 'ancestor'? Could the boy be... Freud's successor?"

As the penguin pondered the identity of his rescuers, who were making faster progress as the worst of the blizzard began to die down.

"I think this is it!" Mir said, nudging his head in the direction of the large icy wall ahead of them.

"What do you mean?" Evan asked in bewilderment. "The way ahead is blocked."

"Let's get a little closer," Mir suggested. They approached the icy wall and discovered that the entrance to Afrien's lair had indeed been frozen shut. Evan tapped on the barrier with his knuckles, only to discover that the barrier was much thicker than he anticipated. Even Mir's strength would not be able to break it down, and it would take too long to try to destroy it with magic. But Evan had learned that solutions often presented themselves with a second glance.

"Hey! Up there, there's a cave," he said, pointing out a small entrance in the large cliffs above them.

"How are you planning to get up there, master?" Mir asked.

"It's easy, you can carry me on your back," Evan said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I don't think so," Mir laughed. "I can't carry you with this wind."

"You can do it, Mir," Evan said. "Have some self confidence."

"I'll go on ahead and scout for guards," Mir said, launching himself into the air before Evan could react.

"What?! Wait! Mir!" Evan shouted. The winds carried Mir's laughter back to him. "Ugh, traitor! See if I ever buy you another cheesecake!" he yelled, knowing that Mir was too far away to hear him.

He looked up, grimacing at how high up his destination was. Muttering mutinously, Evan began searching for footholds to climb up with. Years of manual labor on his family farm had developed his muscles, but it had been years since he had left to go on his adventures with Mir. Since then, he had become accustomed to riding on the dragon, once Mir became large enough. Magic would not serve him here - the cliff was far beyond his teleportation range, and he would not be able to get a strong enough grip on the footholds if he were to teleport up to them. He was going to have to do this without relying on both Mir and his magic.

Half an hour later, Evan was more than halfway up the cliff. The icy winds were getting stronger, and he needed to use all his strength not to be knocked off. His fingers were blistered and numb from gripping the ice, and the air was getting thinner. He paused for a minute, inhaling copious amounts of frosted air into his lungs. Suddenly, the entire cliff began to shake. Evan yelped, clinging to the frozen rocks for dear life.

"What was that tremor? That sounded like a cry of pain," he though to himself. "Something must have happened to Afrien. I need to hurry!"

As he looked up, however, he saw that he had his own problems to deal with. Afrien's cry of pain had triggered an avalance, which was sending giant rocks tumbling down the cliff. Even worse, the ice that jutted out from the cliff, which he was using as footholds, were being knocked off by the falling debris. He cursed Mir under his breath, realizing that it was only a matter of time before one of the rocks fell on him too. It was becoming much harder to scale the cliff, as he constantly needed to dodge and weave to avoid the onslaught of deadly ice.

"A wall of ice is nothing for a Dragon Master!" he yelled. No matter the distance between himself and Mir, their bond remained as strong as ever. He drew power from it, allowing it to fill his tired muscles with newfound strength. He was nearly there - he could see that the mouth of the cave was less than fifty yards away. Minutes later, he clutched the large chunk of snowy earth and hoisted himself up. Mir was sitting on the ground, his back turned away from the tired boy.

Evan huffed and panted, struggling to regain his breath. "Mir! How could you leave me alone like that? I almost died!" he began furiously.

"Ssh," Mir whispered. "Look over there, master."

Evan was still exhausted and angry, but he restrained himself upon hearing the dragon's serious tone. He squinted his eyes and looked where Mir had directed him, but all he could see was a flurry of white snow.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Evan asked. "There's nothing but this blizzard."

"Come closer and look to your right, master," Mir said. Having regained his breath, Evan walked closer to the edge of the cliff and gasped in shock at what he saw: thousands of demon soldiers were camped out at the base of the cliff. They huddled around small fires, built near the entrances of hundreds of crimson tents. By the sheer size alone, Evan concluded that it was an entire invasion army - the same one that the penguin had said conquered Rien.

"It's a good thing we took the long way around," said Mir.

"I had no idea that the demon army would be this huge..." Evan whispered in awe. "I wonder if the Alliance is aware of this?"

"It'd be terrible if we got caught and taken captive by those soldiers," Mir said. "They might hang us on our heads and roast us whole."

"Don't saw such awful things, Mir!" Evan said in shock. "Let's back away from hear... very quietly." They inched away from the cliff edge and entered the cave, praying that no one had spotted them.

"I can't see a thing," said Evan, as they went into the cave.

"Hey," said Mir. "I think that's a torch over there."

Evan squinted through the darkness and saw a small amethyst-colored flame in the distance. He approached the flame and raised his hand. He willed the small fire to rise up and suspend itself mid-air. "Let's press onward," he said. Together, they started walking through the cave, using the purple light from the fire to guide their path. Evan looked around for signs of life, but the cave appeared devoid of any life. The ice under their feet crackled and echoed loudly off the walls. Looking up, Mir saw large icicles hanging ominously over their heads. If they were not careful, even the slightest tremor could send them crashing down, making short work of them both. A loud yelp reverbated throughout the cave, causing Mir to jump in shock.

"Something touched my leg!" Evan yelled in fright. Mir heard something scuttling away from them and looked to see three small silhouettes heading away from them.

"There!" Mir cried. They broke into a sprint to pursue the small creatures. The floating fire disappeared when Evan's concentration broke, but it mattered little. Their chase had led them to an illuminated area of the cave, where they discovered the creatures huddling in a corner.

"Hey, they're just adorable baby spiders," Evan said, smiling at the white, fluffy arachnids.

"They're kind of cute!" said Mir. Suddenly, they heard a loud thump behind them. They turned around and screamed at the sight of a much larger spider - presumably their mother. It was identical to its children, except for it size and an ominous eye-shaped mark on its forehead - the same emblem that Evan had seen on the Murukuns who attacked them. The spider screeched and leapt into the air. Its appendages allowed it to stick on the ceiling, where it hung threateningly above them. It shot out purple goop at Evan, who yelped and rolled away.

"W-why is it attacking us?" Evan asked, terrified.

"Master, I think that monster is angry at us!" Mir cried. He attempted to fly up and attack the monster, only to roar in pain when he was hit by a blast of the spider's poison.

"Well, that leaves us with no choice," Evan decided. He raised his wand and pointed it at the spider, only to jump aside to dodge another blast of poison.

"Do you have a plan?" Mir asked, his eyes wincing in pain.

"Mir, bite it!" Evan shouted.

"What are you saying?" Mir yelled in response. "It's a poisonous spider!"

Evan groaned in frustration before teleporting himself away from another deadly hit. They were beginning to tire, but the spider showed no indication of stopping her onslaught.

Wheezing, Evan cupped his hands and yelled, "Come down and fight me, you coward!"

Almost in response, the emblem on the spider's forehead glowed blood-red. "Wait, I was just kidding!" Evan yelled, as the spider leapt down and crashed hard onto the ground. The ground below Evan's feet cracked, sending the boy tumbling down the hole. His scream drowned out Mir's roar of panic as he fell. His body was battered against the ice during his descent, rendering him even more disoriented. A few seconds later, he recovered enough to realize that his body was sliding on a sloped surface, sending him even deeper below the ground until he finally fell with a large thump. He groaned and slowly got up, clutching his head in pain.

"Mir...?" he moaned. "Mir, where are you? Mir!"

He looked up at the ceiling, where he saw the large hole that sent him down here. Frantic, he ran around the cave and desperately pounded on the icy walls, willing them to budge. After a few minutes, he collapsed in defeat.

"It's all over..." he said to himself. "I'm going to die alone in a cave full of demons." Suddenly, he got ahold of himself. "No, this is no time to doubt myself. You can do this, Evan. Always look on the bright side, that's wha dad would say."

He thought back to when he still lived on his family farm in Henesys. His older brother, Utah, had caught Evan slipping out to the main town. He dragged Evan back home, where his parents spent an entire hour yelling their heads off at the boy. Evan explained that he only wanted to go exploring, to which his parents had told him about how irresponsible he had been: he could have been kidnapped, attacked by roaming monsters, or gotten lost. That evening, his parents called him from his room and sat him down on the kitchen table.

"Evan, listen carefully," his father said. "Since ancient times, people have lived within their station. It's like they say: don't feed the hand that bites you."

"I think you have that backwards," Evan had pointed out innocently, earning himself a glare.

"The point is, in this world, you have to know your place," his father had explained. "If we farmers didn't do our jobs, the people in the city would starve."

"B-but I want to go on adventures..." Evan had protested. His mother had shaken her head in disapproval. "Do you know how dangerous it is out there?" she had asked. "What if something happened to you?"

"They say there's nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it!" Evan exclaimed happily. He could not have been older than five at the time, evidenced by his hopelessly naive innocence. He had always admired the visiting explorers to their farm, and had taken their encouraging words to heart.

His father laughed, "Sure, just like Old Man Higgins when he jumped off that barn bcause he thought he could fly."

In hindsight, Evan realized that his father's advice was as close to useless as possible. He didn't know what his family would do if they were to see him now - off on adventures with a dragon - a dragon whom he relied on for nearly everything nowadays, he realized with a pang. Looking back, Evan realized that he was nearly incapable of doing anything with his own magic. He knew that there was nothing wrong with drawing power from the Spirit Pact, but he realized that his use of Mir's strength was eclipsing the use of his own magic.

The other heroes didn't have a dragon, he thought. They probably could have scaled the cliff in a fraction of the time he took. In fact, they could have taken down the entire demon army themselves. How was he supposed to be their equal when he couldn't even escape from a cave by himself?

"I need to be able to take care of myself," Evan told himself. "I can't rely on Mir so much to solve all my problems." He smiled. "I'll go on alone for now. Mir will find me eventually - we're connected, after all."

He began exploring the cave with a clearer head, examining the walls for a weak spot. After a few minutes, Evan discovered a somewhat hollow block of ice.

"Can I get over the blockage using magic?" he asked aloud. Or should I look for another-"

"I can think of a better way," a female voice said. Evan gasped and turned to face the voice. He recognized it - "It's you!" he exclaimed.

"Long time no see, Evan," a male voice said. Evan could have cried tears of happiness.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the barrier, a small unit of demon soldiers were dragging a group of bruised penguins, who were tied up alongside a girl with icy-blue hair. The girl appeared deliberately unharmed, though she scowled at her captors.

One of the penguins struggled against his restraint and yelled at one of the soldiers, "You brutes! You think you'll be safe after what you've done? Our hero won't let this slide!"

The soldier ignored him and saluted his commanding officer. "Captain, we have captured the troublemakers," he said.

"Who's the girl?" the officer asked, looking closely at the furious girl.

"She is said to be the last of the Rien clan still living on the island," the officer explained.

"Hmm..." the officer pondered. "She looks quite familiar."

"You won't get away with this." the girl said coldly. The officer grinned at her response. "Ah, now I recognize her," he said. "Neinhearts brat sister, no? She'll be very useful. Take her away."

"What should we do with the rest of them?" asked one of the soldiers, gesturing at the frightened penguins.

The captain glanced at the girl and said, "This ledge is as good a place as any to dispose of them." He smirked at the girl's shocked expression.

"You jerks, leave Lilin alone!" one of the penguins cried out. The captain laughed, motioning the soldiers to take them away. Before they could move, a large thump made them turn towards the wall to their right. The force of the thump had created a large crack, which grew larger as a second, lounder, thump resonated through the cave.

"S-something's coming," one of the soldiers said, backing away from the wall.

A third thump completely blasted open the wall, sending large chunks of ice flying. A woman with icy hair and a large polearm landed hard on the ground, sending snow flying wildly around her.

"Who are you?" one of the soldiers barked. "Identify yourself!"

"You want to know who I am?" the girl asked nonchalantly. She swung the polearm in a figure-eight motion, brandishing it at the horde of soldiers. She smiled and said, "I'm the one who stops you!"

Behind her, a young boy appeared, brandishing a dragon-shaped wand at them.

"Bring it on!" he squeaked, his voice cracking.

The demon captain laughed with mirth. "Soldiers, prepare for battle!" he ordered before dragging Lilin away. From out of nowhere, a dozen more soldier appeared, brandishing large spears and shields.

Aran smiled, her powerful muscles ready for a battle. "Stand back, Evan," she said. "I'll handle this."

She charged forward with superhuman speed, knocking aside three soldiers before any of them could react. They slammed into the walls, immediately blacking out. Evan watched in awe as she leapt into the air and swung down her polearm. The bright red gem on the weapon appeared to glow before a frosty polar-bear spirit appeared around the blade, swiping its claw at her terrified enemies. The demon soldiers were knocked down, but Aran had already moved past them. One of the soldiers bravely stepped forward, pointing his spear aggressively at the ice warrior. Aran grinned at this challenge, swinging her polearm in a powerful arc. The force of her blow snapped the demon's weapon cleanly in half, before she twirled her weapon and struck him in the chest with the hilt of the polearm, knocking him out cold. Above them, Lilin was being dragged away by the demon captain, who watched Aran's carnage with visible fear.

The warrior looked up at the officer's frightened expression and grinned. "D-don't come any closer!" the demon shouted.

Aran looked at Lilin, who thrashed against her bindings. "Taking hostages?" Aran asked cooly. "How cliche."

"Sometimes, the most conventional strategies are the best ones," the officer said, hesitantly gathering his resolve.

"I agree," a small voice said behind him. The officer jumped and turned to see a young man, who raised a fist and threw a punch from a distance. Out of his hands emerged a large purple spirit, armed with a giant scythe. The spirit hooked the officer and dragged him towards the man. "Divide and conquer, for example," the man said evenly, a small smile on his face. He raised his fist, from which another spirit emerged - sea-blue with powerful arms. It pummeled the demon into the ground, sending out massive shockwaves.

"It's the heroes!" one of the capive penguins exclaimed joyously. "They came to save us!"

"Aran," said Lilin, as the young man undid the knots to her bindings. "How did you and your friends find us?"

"When I heard you were in daner, I set off in a heartbeat," Aran explained. She gestured at the young man with her weapon. "I brought my sparring partner, hope you don't mind. Figured I'd show him how a real rescue is done."

He smiled and said, "My friend's troubles are my own. But I wasn't expecting an assist from our good Dragon Master."

"I'm here for a different reason," Evan explained. "I sensed that Afrien was in danger."

"That's right," Lilin agreed. "We don't have time for thi-" Her words were cut off by the sound of flapping wings. They turned towards the source of the noise, where they saw Mir dive out from the wall destroyed by Aran and land heavily on the ground.

"Master, there you are!" Mir cried. Evan gave a great shout of joy and leapt up to wrap his arms around the dragon's neck. Mir rumbled happily and wrapped his wings around the boy to return his embrace. "I'm glad you're okay, master," said Mir. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something urgent and released Evan from his hug. "But we have bigger problems right now. I overheard some soldiers talking on my way here. They've locked Afrien away, and they're trying to corrupt him!"

"What?!" Evan cried. He looked at Lilin and asked, "Is this true?!" Before she could respond, a deep rumble of pain caused the entire cave to rumble.

"Master, Afrien's pain is growing worse and worse," Mir cried frantically. "Yes, I felt it too," Evan agreed.

"Sorry, Aran," Lilin said. "We'll have to catch up later. Help your friends."

"Will you be alright here by yourself, Lilin?" Aran asked.

"I know these caves like the back of my hand," Lilin reasssured her. "I'll sneak the penguins to safety."

Another rumble emanated from the cave. This one was different, however. It sounded like dozens of footsteps marching towards them.

"It looks like they're onto us," said Shade, the young man who accompanied Aran.

"Good," Aran smirked. "They'll have time to say their farewells. Lead the way, Evan."

"Me?" Evan asked, surprised.

"Yes. Mir can show us the way, right?" said Shade. "Time is short. We must tear through the enemy ranks and free Afrien."

"All right," said Evan. "Follow me."

Lilin watched the three humans and dragon leave, a pondering expression on her face.

"Lilin, let's get out of here!" one of the penguins said, shaking her out of her reverie. She nodded and began escorting the penguins back to the entrance of the cave.

"What are you thinking so much about?" a penguin asked her earnestly.

"Legend says that when the heroes who sealed the Black Mage away reunite, they would save the world from peril once more," she said. "Maybe this chance meeting is no coincidence at all..."

The penguin knew that Lilin believed in the heroes more than anyone else - after all, she was the last human of the original Rien clan who still remained on the island, even after everyone - including her own brother - had lost faith in the prophecy and left. Lilin had been the one to discover Aran when the warrior first appeared out of the ice, weak and confused. It was Lilin who befriended Aran and helped her regain her old strength and memories. It was just like Lilin to believe that Aran's reunion with Freud's successor was anything more than a mere coincidence. Yet, the penguin thought, it did mean something - it brought hope to their hearts. Still, he knew that many would say that the world needed its heroes more than the hope they inspired - especially now that the Black Mage had returned. Regardless, he and Lilin chose to put their faith in Aran, and that was enough for now.

Meanwhile, their rescuers were fighting their way past hordes of demon soldiers. Aran was a powerhouse of strength, using brute force to knock aside three soldiers with a single swing. Shade called upon the blade spirit, which used its scythe to knock the soldiers off their feet and drag them towards him, where the spirit of fire was waiting to incinerate them. Evan and Mir were a powerful duo, using their combined strength to unleash large magical attacks. Years of training and experience rendered this as little more than a recreational activity for them, and they made conversation as they pushed forward.

"Hey, since when have you two been so close?" Evan asked, blasting away two soldiers with a magical tornado.

"Since working together again during the Black Heaven crisis, we've grown pretty close." Shade said.

"Wait, again?" Aran asked, grunting as she swung her polearm.

"Err..." Shade said awkwardly, realizing that he misspoke. "Don't worry about it."

Aran was confused, but decided to drop it, putting it down to yet another one of her forgotten memories. Instead, she chose to point her polearm at five soldiers that were advancing on her. The gem on her weapon, which channeled the energy of Maha, the weapon's spirit, glowed and summoned two large, frozen polearms that crashed down on her enemies.

She laughed and said, "You'll have to do a lot better than that to stop me!"

Shade chuckled. "Seriously, she never changes." His face turned serious as he pointed out a second wave of demons charging at them. "Watch out - more incoming from the front."

"If anyone needs to watch out, it's them." Aran said, raising her weapon above her head before charging.

As they continued battling the second wave, Evan noticed something strange. "Hey, I thought all demons had wings...?" he asked. During the first continental conference of the Maple Alliance, Evan had noticed a brooding man with large black wings. He later learned that the man, simply known as the Demon, had been a former commander of the Black Mage before defecting.

"Demons of impure bloodlines are often born without them," Shade explained, sending a trio of flame spirits.

Evan realized that these demons were a caste called Asmodians - the offsprings of a demon and human union. He remembered reading about them in the Ellinia library during his studies. The demons of Tynerum enforced a strict caste system, and though he did not know the exact details, Evan could surmise how the demons would treat their 'impure' kin.

Before long, they had decimated their enemies and reached an area which Evan realized was the antechamber to the heart of the cave, where Afrien resided. He could feel the ancient dragon's aura, but something was very wrong. It was tinged with an evil energy, which seemed stragely familiar to the young boy. They were no more than halfway through the antechamber when a loud screech forced them to look up.

"Master, it's that spider again!" Mir cried.

"Watch out!" Evan shouted to his allies. "It clings to the ceiling and attacks from above!"

To his surprise, Aran laughed loudly. "Oh, no! Not a spider. Whatever shall we do? Shade?"

"Leave it to me," he said, sending a blade spirit from his palm. The spirit hooked the spider's leg and brought it down hard to the floor.

"After you, Shade," Aran said. Shade summoned a nature spirit, which attempted to pummel the spider. However, the spider shot a poison-tinged green web, vaporizing the spirit on impact. It leapt into the air and clung to the ceiling once again.

The spider shot a jet of poison at Shade, who rolled aside to dodge it. "It may be difficult to bring the beast down while it's striking," he said.

"You knock it down, and I'll cut it up!" said Aran, sending out a propelling stream of ice from Maha to avoid a blast of poison.

Shade sent out another blade spirit to hook the spider. The spider, however, anticipated the pirate's attack and released a torrent of poisoned web to disintegrate the spirit. The mark on its forehead glowed as it sent out multiple bursts of poison at its assailants. Evan shot a gust of wind from his wand in an attempt to redirect the toxic spray. However, droplets of poison still managed to reach Mir, who roared in pain as the venom singed his scales.

"This is a stubborn beast," grunted Aran, dodging another venom attack. "Put some effort into it, Shade!"

With a fierce glint in his eyes, Shade sent out three blade spirits that rushed towards the spider. Two of them were vaporized, but the last managed to reach its target and dragged it to the ground, where it landed on its underside. Immediately, Shade summoned a large flame spirit that began to pummel the spider. Evan and Mir sent bursts of fire from both wand and breath respectively, increasing the firepower of the spirit's attack. The spider wailed in pain as the spirit burned away its protective coating. Suddenly, they heard rapid scuttling and turned to see three miniature spiders rush to the large spider's side. Shade's eyes widened in understanding, and he dissapated the spirit with a snap of his fingers.

"...baby spiders?" Mir asked aloud.

"They... they're trying to protect their mother," Evan realized.

"What are you waiting for?" Aran asked angrily. "Strike them down."

Evan's eyes widened at the warrior's callous order. Shade, too, furrowed his eyebrows in irritation and said, "They're only children, Aran. There's no need for that."

Aran looked at her companions in disbelief. "Can't you see the markings on her mother's forehead? They're being manipulated by an evil power."

"Perhaps, but her children bear no such mark," Shade said evenly.

All the while, Evan's eyes darted back and forth between the two. He felt himself shrink in fear of the warrior, unable to understand why she was being so unneccarily cruel.

"You might think them innocent, but letting them live endangers our mission. The corruption will take them in time. They may try to take their revenge when the odds are against us, or block our escape." she said. Evan felt a jolt through his mind, realizing that he had not considered this possibility. Conflict surged through him as he tried to reconcile Aran's logic with his own moral stance.

"These creatures are no more a threat than any other wild animal," Shade said. "As long as people don't trespass in their territory-"

"Enough!" Aran said angrily. "We don't have time to argue about this. Evan, the choice is yours."

"M-me?" Evan stammered. He had not expected the decision to rest with him. All the while, he had merely been rooting for Shade to win, even as he knew that Aran had strong points.

"Of course," Aran said, smiling slightly at the boy's shock. "Shade and I disagree, and that makes you the tiebreaker."

"Aran is right," Shade agreed. "Whatever your decision, I will support it."

Evan's body trembled with fear. This was a decision that Freud should have made. Freud would have pulled some piece of wisdom from his great mind and made the right choice. Freud, a natural leader and a wise magician, would have made a decision that would appease both Aran and Shade. Freud, who Afrien called the greatest magician of his time, would have done so much more than Evan - a simple farmboy who stumbled his way around in Freud's shoes, which were much too large for him to ever fill.

But Freud wasn't here anymore. Now, there was only Evan, whom everyone was looking at expectantly. Evan, who needed to make a decision for their group. Evan, whom Afrien had blessed as the worthy successor to Freud - Afrien, who was being endangered the longer Evan's indecision persisted.

"We'll spare them," Evan said, and there was no hesitance in his voice. Smiling, Shade stepped away from the spider, who sprinted away with her children.

"I'm proud of you," Shade said. "Mercy is the mark of greatness."

Evan looked at Aran, who silently nodded and gave him a slight smile. "I don't know if this is the right choice," Evan said hesitantly.

"There is no right answer. All that matters is that you don't regret the choices you make," Shade said. Evan perceivd something different about his tone. It was subtle, but there was indeed a slight bitterness in his words. His words were those of a man who had made a difficult decision - perhaps even an impossible one. Evan opened his mouth to ask more, but he was interrupted by a turbulent roar - louder and more pained than any of the others.

"Afrien! He's close by!" Evan exclaimed. Without pause, they rushed forward through the antechamber. As they moved closer towards the heart of the cave, Evan felt dark energies surging through him. Mir's voice resonated in his head.

"Master," Mir spoke telepathically. "I'm afraid of what we're going to find."

"Afrien needs us, Mir," Evan responded. He understood the dragon's sentiment. The dark energy he felt was tinged with Afrien's aura, and Evan understood the implications. Based on everything they had seen on the island, an uneasy suspicion had arisen in their minds. What exactly had happened to Afrien? Nevertheless, Evan remained undeterred. "We have to press on, no matter what's waiting ahead."

The icicles around them were beginning to look like jagged thorns. They entered the heart of the cave, and were met with a terrible sight. Afrien was suspended in the air, his body held aloft by the thorny icicles which pierced through his body. His scales had lost its gleam, looking as grey as a corpse. His labored breathing - proof that he was still alive - was sending cold air through his nostrils. Most shockingly, his forehead no longer bore the golden mark of the Spirit Pact. In its place was a purple eye-like emblem that pulsed like a heartbeat.

"Afrien..." Evan whispered, unable to process what had happened to the ancient dragon.

"AFRIEN!" Mir roared. Unlike Evan, the dragon was livid. His scales were glowing dangerously and puffs of fire streamed through his nostrils.

"This is... unforgivable." Aran said, her voice shaking with fury.

Besides her, Shade put a comforting hand on her shoulder. His face was the most composed of them all, but his tone nonetheless belied his horror. "...let's move closer," he said quietly. They scaled a jagged icicle and approached the ancient dragon, who did not seem to acknowledge their presence.

"Afrien, open your eyes," Evan said, his voice cracking with grief. "I'm here."

He placed a hand on Afrien's snout. At his touch, the great dragon slowly opened his tired eyes. His voice, normally a deep rumble, was feeble.

"Have you come at last, descendent of Freud?" he asked. "And you... the last heir of the Onyx bloodline."

"Ancestor..." Mir whispered, his eyes shining.

"There's no need for tears," Afrien soothed. "I am not dead yet."

"But he's badly infected," Aran observed. "The symbol on his head has been corrupted to that of the demons. He's beyond saving."

"Aran, silence," Shade whispered angrily, irritated by his friend's lack of diplomacy.

"It would be dishonorable to lie to him," Aran retorted angrily. "A proud dragon, like any warrior, deserves to know how they will meet their fate."

Afrien laughed, a trace of his old rumble returning to his voice. "You are right, Aran. I am most aware of my condition," he said. "But you need not fear. I will not allow myself to become a puppet to their will. I will end things on my own terms, before it comes to that."

He turned to face Evan and Mir before he continued, "We have not much time, so listen well. The reason I still draw breath is because I was waiting for the Master of Dragons."

"Are you... talking about me?" Evan asked, confused. 'Dragon Master' was a title that he adopted after learning about Freud, but he had never heard Afrien acknowledge him as such until now.

"I have something for you," Afrien said. "A memory I had planned to share when you were older. But time is a luxury I no longer possess. What I share with you now is a piece of Freud, left in my care for an occasion such as this."

The symbol of the Spirit Pact on Evan's hand glowed brightly, and everything became dark. He was aware that his consciousness had been transported elsewhere, but he did not know what to do. But a man's voice rang from the void, rich and charismatic. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

A man who looked just like Evan, albeit older and wiser, appeared before him. "That voice..." Evan thought.

The man smiled and said, "I see at long last, my descendent has taken up the hero's mantle."

"Are you Freud?" Evan asked in awe. "But how?"

Freud laughed gently. "I am indeed. It's simple, really. I have bestowed upon the symbol of my oath with Afrien a small piece of my spirit. There is so much I want to tell you... but time is short. Afrien shares my message with you now, because the world is once again in great danger. The Black Mage's army will soon consume the World Tree. There is a way to stop him - something I prepared long ago."

"Are you talking about the Seal Stones?" Evan asked.

"No. In some ways, it is more important and dangerous than the Seal Stones," Freud said. "Only you - my successor - can find it."

"Only me? Why?" Evan asked.

"All will become clear in time," Freud said simply, smiling at Evan's frustrated expression.

"I don't understand," Evan said at last. "But I'll do whatever needs to be done."

"Good," Freud said. "There is a place you must go. I will show you the way. But remember this, Evan. You are not alone. If - as I suspect - my friends are still alive in your time, they will undoubtedly help you in your quest."

"Friends?" Evan asked, though he already suspected Freud's answer.

"My dearest friends. The five-" Freud suddenly caught himself, before continuing, "The four heroes that helped me seal away the Black Mage. If no one else, you can at least trust them. I will be waiting for you."

Evan opened his mouth to speak. There was so much more he wanted to ask Freud, but the magician only smiled. Visions of places and people appeared across the void, their light blinding in the former darkness. Evan's head throbbed as he put a hand over his burning eyes. Everything was spinning, and then, he was back in the frosty cave.

"Are you alright?" Shade asked, putting a steadying hand on Evan's shoulder.

"Your head hurts, no doubt," Afrien said. "That is to be expected. This is not merely a transference of knowledge, but one of memories. I know not what Freud said to you, but I do know that the message was of the utmost importance. That is why I have held on this long..."

"Ancestor, why are you talking like this is the end?" Mir said, startled. "We're not leaving here without you!"

Before Afrien could respond, a voice rang out from the darkness - dangerous and growling like a wolf. "What's this? Who are these flies buzzing around my prized possession?"

Suddenly, Afrien roared in agony as the eye-like symbol on his snot throbbed. From out of nowhere, a demon appeared besides the great dragon. This one was much different from the others. His violet, messy hair fell to his neck, which was wrapped by an old, crimson scarf. A long headband, asymetrically skewed, covered his left eye like an eyepatch. Where his eye should have been was the same emblem of corruption found on both the Murukuns and the spider. Most curiously of all, a glowing red sword was strapped to his back, which glowed ominously with malevolent power.

"You..." Evan breathed. "Who are you?"

"Damien... commander of the demon army," Afrien said.

"Why have you done this to Afrien?" Shade said loudly.

"It's pretty simple," Damien said, smirking. "The deeper his corruption grows, the stronger I become."

"You would do such terrible things merely for power?" Shade asked, revolted.

"Only the strong survive. Weakness is a sin, don't you know that?" he said, a slight growl in his voice. "It was you humans who taught us that hundreds of years ago when you drove us from our homes." Turning to Afrien, he said, "I have to say I'm impressed, dragon. You are the first to hold out for this long."

"Afrien is an Onyx Dragon of great pride," Evan shouted. "He's not some puppet for you to collect!"

"Is that so?" Damien laughed. "Well then, proud dragon, I have an offer you can't refuse. Strike these pests down and I will grant new life to your old bones. You can live for eternity as part of my glorious army."

Evan gasped, turning to Afrien. The dragon gave a look of utmost disdain at Damien. "...I refuse," he said simply. Irritation crossed Damien's face. His crimson eye glowed, causing the emblem on Afrien's head to pulse. The dragon roared in pain, causing the entire cave to tremble.

"If words won't get through your think skull," Aran said furiously. "I know my axe will!" She charged with immense speed, raising her polearm up for a devastating attack. But Damien, with equal speed, drew his sword from behind his back and easily paried Aran's blow. The resulting clash between their weapons sent out a shockwave of dissonant voices, as though someone were screaming from inside Aran's polearm.

"How disappointing," Damien said, shaking his head. "And they call you a Hero?"

A large violet jewel on Damien's sword glowed brightly, sending out a massive beam of energy that sent Aran flying back. Aran stabbed the ground with the end of her weapon, sliding backwards and coming to a screeching halt.

"There's something strange about the sword," Shade said. Evan knew what he meant - no weapon possessed that kind of power without being possessed by a spirit, like how Maha inhabited Aran's polearm.

"He is much too strong," Afrien said. "You cannot hope to defeat him as you are now."

"I was actually looking forward to this. How disappointing," Damien said. "I guess I'll at least enjoy killing you."

"Everyone, thank you for keeping me company in my last moments..." Afrien said, his voice barely a rasp. Panic surged through Evan at these words. He prayed with all his strength that he was wrong about what Afrien meant. He wanted to scream at Afrien to stop what he was doing, but his body was glued to the spot.

"...And you, Damien. Did you, a mere demon, think you could break the will of a mighty dragon? You can take my life. However, you will not take my will." Both Damien and Shade's eyes widened at these words, both understanding what Afrien was about to do. The cave rumbled with Afrien's power, as the dragon thundered, "I will join you, Damien. IN OBLIVION!"

"Stop it!" Mir roared. "Afrien, you can't!"

"Mir, I am so very proud of how you have grown," Afrien said kindly. "Go. And never forget the pride of the Onyx."

A brilliant beam of energy resonated from the great dragon. Evan felt himself being teleported away, as he heard Damien screaming in fury.

"Freud, my old friend," Afrien thought. "I kept my promise. And now, I vanish into the sands of time."

He allowed his thoughts to meander back to his most treasured memories, as everything become white - even whiter than the snow and ice around him. He saw Freud approach him, placing a gentle hand on his snout. Afrien closed his eyes, allowing the warmth of Freud's touch to fill his being. It is said that all Onyx Dragons were born with incomplete spirits, and needed humans in order to make themselves whole. Afrien was the first of his kind to form a Spirit Pact with a human, making both himself and his counterpart greater together than they could be on their own. With Freud's passing, Afrien had spent the centuries in isolation - alone in every way possible way that a being could be alone. He did not regret his sacrifice; a sacrifice which would ensure the continuation of the Onyx, and the end of the Black Mage. And Freud, his other half, was waiting for him in the afterlife. He felt all his pain disappearing; all his sorrows and anguish. There was only Afrien now. Afrien and Freud.

* * *

 _"I, Afrien, the King of Onyx Dragons, hereby swear my eternal loyalty and friendship with thee. In your battle against the darkness, you shall see that you never stand alone."_

 _"I, Freud, the Dragon Master, hereby swear my eternal loyalty and friendship with the Onyx King. I will stand by your side, until time tears us apart."_

 _"Until time tears us apart..."_

* * *

Evan was still alive. He, and all his friends, were still standing in an unknown part of the cave. His mind was whirling, unable to process what had just occurred.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Afrien used the last of his power to teleport us here," Shade said somberly.

"The last of his power..." Evan said, his mind growing clearer. "Then... Afrien?"

Shade gave Evan a sad, apologetic look. "He did what he had to in order to protect us from Damien."

"No!" Evan screamed. "We have to go back!" Tears were falling down his face, blurring his vision. He tried to rush past Aran, who grabbed him and stopped him from leaving. Around them, ice crystals were falling. The cave rumbled louder than ever, and it was clear that without Afrien, it was on the verge of collapse.

"Evan, think rationally!" Shade said. "If we don't escape this place, Afrien's sacrifice will have been for nothing."

"He's right, master," Mir said, his voice breaking. "I can't feel Afrien anymore."

"The cave is collapsing. We must leave now. There will be time to mourn later," Shade said urgently.

They ran forward blindly, hoping that it would lead them to an exit. They were shocked to see demon soldiers standing guard, as though expecting them.

"The cave is collapsing, move it!" Aran yelled, charging forward.

"Show our enemy that demons don't back down from a fight! Do not back down!" the captain roared before being slammed into the ground by an enraged Aran.

"Okay, if that's how you want to play..." Aran muttered. Filled with fury and adrenaline, Aran was single-handedly plowing through the demon soldiers, paving a clear path for her allies to follow through. It was clear that Damien had ordered his men to block their escape, making Evan realize that the commander must have survived too. As they rushed forward, they encountered a second platoon awaiting them.

"Stop them! Sacrifice yourselves if it means stopping them!" their leader barked.

"How foolish," said Shade, shaking his head. He sent a trio of fox spirits caterwheeling towards the platoon, which began to scratch and claw at them. Evan and Mir, empowered through their congruent emotion, used their combined power to create a pentacle-shaped spell circle that released a deadly burst of lightning, instantly incinceration their enemies.

"The cave is collapsing, but none of them are fleeing," Shade remarked.

"They may be our enemies, but their loyalty is praiseworthy," said Aran, who stood towering over her fallen foes. They continued onward, running faster as entire chunks of the frozen ceiling began crashing over their heads. They did not encounter any more demons, assuming that they were either defeated or had retreated through the mouth of the cave, which was just up ahead. But their relief turned to panic as yet another tremor caused large chunks of ice to fall ahead of them.

"The ice is blocking the way!" Shade said.

"All we need to do is break it!" Aran cried, rushing forward with her polearm to shatter the ice barriers. Shade followed suit, summoning a large flame spirit to smash through the ice. Mir released a jet of fire from his mouth, while Evan shot massive fireballs from his wand. In mere moments, all the fallen ice had melted in a pool of water.

"Let's hurry. The shaking is getting worse," Shade said. They sprinted towards the exit as the cave collapsed around them. Icicles with deadly tips fell over their heads, forcing them to dodge and weave around.

"I refuse to be trapped in ice a second time!" Aran shouted, barely managing to avoid a falling icicle. They practically jumped through the exit, just as a dozen enormous boulders fell from the top of the cliff and covered the cave mouth.

"I think we've made it to safety," Shade said, panting heavily.

"Those demons," Aran said, catching her breath. "I'll make sure they pay for this."

Mir collapsed, burying his face in his wings. Evan silently approached him and wrapped his arms around the dragon's neck, clinging desperately to him as they both mourned Afrien's demise.

"...I'm sorry, everyone. This is all because I didn't train enough." Aran said. Even in his grief, Evan was surprised to hear how broken she sounded. He released Mir and looked to find Aran sitting on the ground, her face buried in her knees. Shade sat by her side, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"It feels like I'm suffocating," Evan whispered. "I'll never forgive that demon."

"A dragon's pain is his master's pain," Shade said. "You are bound to each other by the strings of fate."

Mir raised his head and turned to Evan. "I don't get it, master. What message could have been so important for Afrien to endure such pain?"

"Afrien never gave in, even up to the very end. He wanted to show you that," said Shade. "There are those who serve as beacons of light for others, simply by the way they live their lives. Centuries ago, when Freud and Afrien first formed their bond, it was proof that the light of hope can still shine, even in the darkest of times. The dragon and its master start to resemble one another after a time. Freud and Afrien were both possessors of honest souls. Evan, Mir - that is who you ancestors were. When the rest of us wavered, they never lost hope."

"I don't know if I could do the things he did," Evan said. "But I can't stand by and do nothing." A look of fierce determination crossed his face. He seemed to be taller than normal, and wiser than before.

"You aren't alone in this," Shade said.

"Thank you," Evan said gratefully. "But the three of us won't be enough. Mercedes, ruler of the elves; Luminous, the mage of light; and Phantom, the master thief... I will unite the heroes that sealed away the Black Mage, in the name of Freud."

The words hung powerfully in the air, taking flight alongside him in the skies across Maple World.

* * *

But darkness still loomed on the island. The demon commander had returned to the demon base, where he entered his tent. Before him, a young girl was encased behind a glass prison, like a porcelain doll in a display case. Dead tree roots wrapped themselves around her body and limbs, preventing her from moving. The tree, specifically enchanted with dark magic, resonated with her powerful aura to keep her entrapped.

"How long do you plan to resist?" Damien asked viciously.

"I've told you before." said Alicia quietly. "You'll never be worthy of my power."

"Still you use that arrogant tone," Damien said. "I wonder how much longer you'll be able to keep that up?"

Alicia gave him a strange look; it was almost pitying. "...you poor child," she said.

Her tone could almost have been called maternal. It displeased him. "Watch your tongue," Damien said, his voice cutting the air like a razor's edge.

"You crossed a line. They won't stand by idly anymore," Alicia said.

Damien smiled ruthlessly. "Oh, I'm counting on that."

"You provoked them intentionally?" Alicia asked, shocked.

"Prey are easier to hunt when they're in the same place," Damien said, grinnng. "This is just the beginning."


	2. Interlude: Reunion

**Act 1.5: Reunion**

* * *

 _Elluel, land of the elves. Hundreds of years ago, a curse froze the land in time. The queen of the elves returned, yet the curse remains._

* * *

Elluel was much different from Ereve. Much of the kingdom was green, and surrounded by enchanted waterfalls. In the center of the town was an enormous cherry blossom tree, its trunk carved with mysterious blue runes. Under its leafy branches was the meeting spot of the three elven elders: Philius, Astilda, and Danika. The elders were advisors to the elven monarch, offering their wisdom and counsel to help the sovereign make the best decisions for their people. But times had changed. No longer did the once-festive town sing with nature. The Black Mage's curse had forever changed Elluel, damning the elves to eternal slumber in ice. After Mercedes awoke, she directed all of her energies into regaining her original strength and freeing her people. Despite her efforts, only the three elders - the strongest of the elves - had awoken from their icy prisons. Even at her full strength, and with the support of the Alliance, Mercedes had been unable to awaken her people. She spent much of her time traveling to and from Elluel, desperate to find a solution.

"It seems as though no magic we possess can undo the curse of the Black Mage," Astilda said sadly. She was quite old, even by elven standards, and possessed an inexhaustible supply of experience to draw from. But even with all her wisdom, the ancient elf was at a loss about how to lift the curse.

"We may have been able to escape the ice, but the children are not so resilient," responded Philius, the leader of the elders. He'd had this conversation hundreds of times with Astilda, but there were increasingly few topics to discuss besides the curse, as he was well aware.

They looked up at the sound of flapping wings. Sylvidia, a snowy-white unicorn, landed gracefully on the grass in front of them. Mercedes climbed off the unicorn and patted its head before it took off towards the stables.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty," Philius said, bowing.

"The children?" Mercedes asked. She knew the answer, but a part of her continued to hope, even after all these years, that some miracle would have occurred during her absence, and her people would be free once again.

"They stll sleep, I'm afraid," said Philius sadly.

"I gathered more Leaves of Winter," Mercedes said, revealing a bag filled with icy leaves. "Do you think maybe these will help the children wake up?"

Philius and Astilda looked sadly at the Mercedes. This was the tenth bag the young queen had brought back from the frigid mountains of El Nath. She was well aware that the leaves were ineffective, but she continued to bring them during her most hopeless moments. Perhaps she clinged to a desperate hope that, somehow, it would work the next time she brought them. Or, more likely, she took satisfaction in the struggle it took to attain them. The struggle was what made her feel like she was actually accomplishing something; it allowed her to ignore the fact that she could have easily achieved the same results by watching the grass grow. She felt powerless and ashamed.

"This is all my fault," Mercedes said.

"Please, do not say that," Astilda said. She had always been a sort of grandmother to the young queen, and it pained her deeply to see her so upset.

"No one here blames you for your decisions, Your Majesty," Philius added.

"I thought the world would be at peace if we defeated the Black Mage. But my decision ended up putting all of our people in danger... I am so ashamed," she said.

"Mercedes!" a voice called out. They turned around to see Danika, the third elder, run towards them. Danika was the youngest elder appointed on the council. At 240 years old, she was barely even considered an adult by elven standards. Nevertheless, her protegic skill with the bow and arrow resulted in her appointment as the Elder of War.

"You're here!" Danika said, evidently relieved. "You have a guest."

"A guest?" Mercedes asked, confused. She had just returned to Elluel and still hadn't told Athena Pierce that she had returned. She followed Danika to the sacred waterfall, where she discovered the perplexing sight of a dragon burying its head in the bushes.

"Wow, master!" it said. "Look at all these weird fruit! Whio knew elf food was so different?"

"Mir, behave yourself! We're here to meet with the queen," a male voice said.

Mercedes froze in shock as a human boy appeared from behind the bushes. Everything about the boy was eerily familiar, from his clothes to his voice.

"That boy..." Mercedes whispered. "He looks just like Freud. I'm not the only one who sees it, right?"

Danika laughed softly. Mercedes couldn't help but think that her laugh sounded suspiciously knowing. The boy caught sight of her and jumped. At once, his face burned red at the sight of Mercedes, undoubtedly embarressed by what the queen must have been thinking at the sight of them pilfering through their fruit.

"Psst, Mir!" the boy squeaked, nudging the dragon. "Come out here!"

The dragon poked its head out from the bushes and saw the elven ruler smiling bemusedly.

"G-greetings, Your Majesty!" Evan stammered. "My name is Evan, the Dragon Master, and this is Mir, the last of the Onyx."

The Dragon Master, she thought. Freud was known by that title centuries ago, and she had heard stories of someone who had mastered an Onyx Dragon. Was it possible that this boy was some kind of successor? She thought back hard to where she had heard his name before, but she couldn't remember.

"It's good to meet you, Evan and Mir," Mecedes smiled. "What brings you to Elluel?"

"If it's alright with you, Your Majesty," Evan said. "I was wondering whether we could speak somewhere more private."

Her curiosity peaked at his words. She took a closer look at the boy, trying to remember him from an Alliance meeting or mission. She bizzarely suspected that vegetables were involved.

"Alright, come with me," Mercedes said. She took them to the sacred fairy fountain, which floated high above Elluel. The Black Wings had once poisoned the enchanted waters of the fountain, but she had managed to purify the stream once again.

"We can talk here without interruption," Mercedes said. "So, why did you come to see me?"

Evan suddenly found himself tongue-tied. He had never met another hero besides Aran, and Mercedes' majestic grace was quite arresting. He debated whether to make small talk in order to break the ice, or to get to the point.

"It's beautiful up here," he said at last. "I can see all of Elluel."

Potatoes, she suddenly thought, that's why she had thought of vegetables. The queen remembered the celebratory feast after the Black Heaven crisis. She recalled eating the strange vegetable, brought by a boy named Evan from his family farm in Henesys. She also remembered that she had not cared much for it.

"It's a sight few humans have ever seen. A generous gift, compared to those 'potatoes' you once shared with us," Mercedes said. "Now tell me, why are you really here?"

Evan spent the next few minutes describing his adventures with Aran and her pirate friend. He told her that Damien's plan to spread chaos across Maple World, as well as Afrien's fate. Finally, he told her about Freud's instructions to his young successor about reuniting the heroes.

"I see. Freud said that...?" Mercedes said at last. She saw Evan looking hopefully at her, knowing that his face would fall at her next words. "I've fought many battles in the lands beyond Elluel since awakening from the curse, hoping to find a cure for my people. But after all this time, they remain trapped in ice due to my selfishness. It is my duty now as ruler of the Elves to look after my people. I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

As expected, Evan looked crestfallen. "If there's anything I can do to change your mind..." he said, trailing off at Mercedes' sad smile. To her surprise, however, Evan did not leave it off there. "I'll do whatever you need to help restore your people, but first we need your help." he said. "You know where and when to meet us. I hope I'll see you then."

Mercedes watched the boy climb onto his dragon and take off. She saw them growing smaller and smaller, until they became a dark speck in the sky.

"Strange. His speech and behavior are completely different..." Mercedes thought to herself. "But I see a piece of you in him, Freud." She smiled. "It's decided then. I'm not the type to stand by and do nothing, after all."

* * *

 _There is a legendary thief from years long past, as silent and stealthy as the night air. It is said that there is nothing he could not steal. After hundreds of years, the enigmatic thief has returned. Now, he wanders the world in search of rare and precious treasure._

* * *

The crescent moon shone brightly over Magatia, the town of alchemy. The paved streets were empty and the wood from the buildings creaked in the wind. It had just rained, and the air still carried a trace of refreshing dew. The starry sky was like a painted backdrop behind the medieval town, where a thief perched himself on the roof of the tallest building.

"This is going to be tricky..." Phantom said, as Evan and Mir noticed the thief.

"Look, there's Phantom!" Evan said excitedly.

"Tch," Phantom clicked in frustration. A torrent of cards wrapped around him like a shroud, teleporting him away into a narrow alleyway.

"Phantom! Wait just a second!" Evan shouted, perplexed by the thief's disappearace. He had heard rumors that Phantom had chosen this night to steal the Jewel of Magatia. Evan didn't know whether the jewel was actually valuable enough for the thief to set his sights on, but this was the best lead he had gotten in weeks. He was not about to fail after having Phantom in his sights. He darted forwards towards into the alleyway where he saw the thief disappear. He came out in another part of Magatia, deserted except for a sleazy blond man hitting on an irritated woman.

"Hey, gurl," he said, failing to act suave. "If I could rearrange the alphabet, I'd put U an I together." No one could blame the girl for crossing her arms and turning away.

"Where did he go?" Evan asked Mir, gasping for breath. "I could've sworn he came through here."

"Are you sure about that?" Mir asked.

"I'm sure of it," Evan said. "He can't be too far if he still plans on stealing the Jewel of Magatia."

"At this rate, we could search all night and not find him," Mir said dejectedly.

Mir was right, Evan thought. Chasing after shadows wasn't getting them anywhere. They needed to try a different approach.

"Let's hide nearby and come up with a plan," Evan suggested.

"That's a good idea, master," Mir said. "We'll stick out if we just stand around."

They were halfway down the block when Evan nearly bumped into Mir, who had suddenly stopped.

"...Wait a minute," Mir said. "Isn't Phantom a master of disguise?"

"Yeah, so what?" Evan asked.

"Didn't that man back there seem suspicious?" Mir asked eagerly.

Now that Evan thought about it, the man's hairstyle was very much like Phantom's, though much more unkempt. And it would be just like Phantom to flirt with pretty girls while he was undercover.

"Mir, you're like a detective!" Evan exclaimed proudly.

"Let's interrogate him and find out!" Mir cried. They ran back down the street, but only found the girl standing alone.

"He's gone!" Evan said, disappointed. "But he can't have gotten far. Let's go, Mir!"

They asked the girl where the man was headed, and took off in the direction she pointed out. A few minutes later, they saw the man whistling as he walked, his hands in his pocket. Determined not to let him slip away twice, Evan teleported himself in the man's path. The man jumped, startled by the young boy appearing out of nowhere. He turned around, only to discover that a large dragon had flown down in front of him. He whipped his head back and forth comically, desperately looking to escape his strange assailants.

"Mir, now! Attack him before he escapes!" Evan shouted.

"Got it!" Mir said. As the man began to run down an alleyway, Mir took a deep breath and shot a non-lethal burst of fire from his mouth. The man screamed as the fire singed his hair and clothes.

"W-why me?" he stammered. "I'm sorry! I swear I'll never use that pickup line again!"

"Oh, no - you're not Phantom!" Evan said, shocked and embarressed. "I'm so sorry, sir!" he called out as the man ran away.

"The real Phantom would have dodged that in an instant," Mir said, shaking his head in disappointment.

"You should have gone easy on him, Mir!" Evan said, still feeling guilty over singing an innocent, though uncouth, stranger.

"Sorry, force of habit," Mir said, his lips twitching. "Anyways, where did Phantom go? Should we try looking in this direction?"

Just as Mir turned to point out where he suggested they go next, Evan felt a sweeping gust of wind forming around him. The wind dragged him into the sky before he could even register the fact that he was being teleported away by the real Phantom. Mir turned around to find that Evan had disappeared.

"Umm... master? Where'd you go?" he called out. "Is this payback for before?"

Evan suddenly appeared at the top of an isolated tower. He turned to see Phantom perched like a bird on the tower railing.

"Now what?" Phantom sighed, shaking his head. "You, kid, sure are a pain in the neck."

"Phantom, why are you running away?" Evan asked earnestly. "I have something important to discuss with you."

"It'd better be important if you're interfering with my perfect plan," Phantom said. "I was planning to show Magatia a night to remember, and then vanish like the wind. But you've gone and ruined the mood."

"There are more important things at stake now!" Evan cried impatiently. He quickly summarized the events on Turtle Island, annoyed by how little attention Phantom was paying to him. But when the boy mentioned Freud, Phantom's ears perked and he looked earnestly at Evan.

"I see. Freud... now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time," Phantom said.

"Freud believed this isn't a problem I can solve on my own," Evan said, excited that Phantom was finally taking him seriously. Though he still felt a small pang that, once again, he needed to use Freud's name to bolster his own credibility.

"He's right. It's an impossible task for you to accomplish alone," Phantom agreed.

"Then you'll help us?" Evan asked eagerly.

"Nope," Phantom said, popping the 'p'. "That's none of my business."

"Whaaa?" Evan asked, thoroughly confused by the thief. Phantom smiled at Evan's expresion. "I appreciate that you want to carry out Freud's will. But that's your responsibility. There's no reason for me to get involved, right?"

I knew I'd have to convince him, Evan thought, but this is not going to be easy.

"Why should I be interested? Give me one reason," Phantom demanded.

Evan's mind raced as he prepared his argument. What could he say that would most likely sway the thief's mind? His first thought was appealing to his respect for Freud. After all, that was what had made the thief listen to him in the first place. But he would still be using Freud as a crutch, and it was doubtful that the same trick would work twice. Perhaps his sense of logic? Evan brushed that aside almost instantly. The thief was far too narcissistic to listen to reason-

"His vanity - that's it!" Evan thought excitedly.

"You're seriously going to turn down an opportunity to help save the world?" Evan asked, hoping to get Phantom's bait. "Maybe you're not the amazing hero everyone thinks you are. We're even heading to some ancient ruins. Who knows what kind of treasure could be hidden there?"

He studied the thief's face, which had been virtully unreadable through the whole ordeal. Evan finished resignedly, "I can't make you join us, but you know where we'll be. I hope you'll decide to help us."

With nothing else to say, Evan jumped off the tower, teleporting himself safely to the ground. Phantom watched the boy walk away to his dragon, shaking his head in bemusement.

"I doubt I've met anyone more stubborn than that boy," he said. "Well, at least we won't be bored for a while. Right, ladies?"

"I hope you're not planning on blowing up the ship again, captain!" said Colette through his earpiece. Colette was a part of Phantom's intelligence gathering network. Like the others, Colette was responsible for keeping Phantom updated on all the relevant events in Maple World, specifically on the lookout for important jewels and artifacts to steal.

"It'd be nice to know in advance this time, boss," added Christiane.

"Ladies, have a little perspective!" Phantom said. "You have to bet big to win big!"

A dignified male voice spoke through the comm. "Sir, the ship is ready to get underway. Will you be returning presently?" asked Gaston, Phantom's butler and most trusted confidant.

"Not yet, Gaston," Phantom smiled. "I still have matters to attend to in Magatia."

"Of course, Master Phantom," Gaston said sagely. "Forgive my presumption. Mustn't let a great treasure go unstolen, of course."

"It's simpler than that," Phantom responded. "I promised Magatia the heist of a lifetime, and I never break my word."

A thousand cards swirled around him like a golden shroud. Though his focus was still on thievery, Phantom's mind still wandered back to Evan's words.

"Reuniting, after hundreds of years..." he thought. "I don't enjoy working with others, but... I'm curious to see Freud's ace-in-the-hole. Shall I see for myself, then? Whether this is truly Freud's heir, or just a pretender."

He vanished without a trace. The people of Magatia would wake to find their treasure stolen, with only a single tarot card in its place.

* * *

 _The mage who helped seal away the Black Mage in Maple World's darkest hour. Wielding the powers of both light and darkness, a silent storm rages inside him. He returns to the solitude of the forest to cultivate inner peace._

* * *

Ellinia had always been a mysterious town, as few humans lived there. Instead, it was inhabited by winged fairies, who lived in the mystical Ellin Forest. Centuries ago, the fairy queen, Ephinea, had fallen desperately in love with the White Mage, who had promised to rid her lands of the polluting and pilfering humans who trespassed on the sacred burials grounds of the fairies. She pledged her loyalty to the Black Mage, vowing to destroy all humans in Maple World. After her death, humans began to colonize the misty forests and build homes atop the vine trees. The remaining fairies grudgingly tolerated their human neighbors, and Ellin Forest was restructured into the magical town of Ellinia.

But traces of Ellin Forest still remained at the roots of the vine trees, shrouded by dense fog. It was here that Luminous had woken from his slumber, where he was discovered by a little girl named Lania, who lived alone. Luminous lived happily for nearly a decade with Lania, who he took care of like his own daughter. But when the Black Mage's darkness awoke inside him, Luminous' uncontrollable powers had ruined everything. After months of penance and discipline, the mage had returned to Lania, having conquered his dark nature.

Evan had sought out Luminous in Ellinia, where he told the mage about what Freud had tasked him with. But Luminous had bluntly refused and silently walked away.

"Luminous, wait!" Evan cried out, running to keep up with the magician's long strides. Behind him, Mir flapped his wings eagerly, trying to keep up with Evan and Luminous.

"Our discussion is ended," Luminous said, irritated that the boy was still following him. Realizing that Evan had no intention to stop pestering him, Luminous stopped in his tracks and turned to face the dishelved boy and dragon.

"Why won't you join us?" Evan asked.

"I do not agree with Freud's methods," Luminous said simply. "I will deal with the Black Mage and his minions on my own terms."

"But-" Evan started, but was swiftly interrupted by the mage.

"Let me be blunt. Freud's plan is a fantasy, and fantasies cannot be relied upon," Luminous said. "First, he prophsises some vague future disaster, and provides no signs to know it by. Then he suggests that if we merely reunite with our peers of old, victory is somehow assured, in absence of a plan! Finally, and perhaps most criminally, he entrusts the task to an amateur such as you, our new would-be Dragon Master."

Evan could not believe what he was hearing. He knew that Mercedes and Phantom would be hesistant to reunite, but never could he have imagined that Luminous - the Mage of Light himself - would refuse to involve himself in a battle against the darkness. He had always imagined Luminous to be somewhat like Mihile, the Chief Knight of Light: virtuous, loyal, and chivalrous. But instead, he was faced with a dogmatic, pedantic, and irate man who so easily dismissed his old friends without a second thought.

"I'm as much the Dragon Master as Freud was," Evan said hotly. "We were both chosen. I never asked to carry the fate of the world on my shoulders!"

Luminous turned appraisingly to Mir. "It is said that Onyx Dragons grow with the mght and capability of their owners. Compared to Afrien, Mir is but a hatchling."

"That's not fair..." Evan said childishly.

"He's not wrong, he's just a jerk," Mir said bitterly.

"So tell me. You, who are asking all of us to put our lives in your hands, what do you have to offer this proposed alliance?" the mage asked.

Luminous was getting under his skin more than anyone else he had met before, including his brother Utah, which was an achievement unto itsef. He had always worshipped the Heroes, and felt proud to have been chosen to join them. But now that he had met them all, he was finding it hard to believe that such different, dysfunctional people could ever have been together for longer than five minutes, let alone sealed away the Black Mage. Evan felt an urge to smack the pedantic look off the magician's face. He considered responding with a witty insult, but he decided to take the high road. After all, he needed to get Luminous on his side, and baiting him would not serve his goals.

"I may not yet be as strong as Freud was, but Freud didn't become a hero overnight," Evan said. "I'm still training. Is there any better place to learn what it is to be a hero, than fighting alongside all of you?"

He expected Luminous to be taken aback by his maturity, but the mage continued to look disdainfully, perhaps even disappointedly, at Evan.

"Moving words, but words is all they are. Look around you." he said, twirling his shining rod in his hand. At once, the fog around the forest parted, revealing dozens of dead demon soldiers.

"W-when did this..." Mir stammered.

"Freud was not perfect, but I did at least trust him to know when he was being followed," Luminous said, nodding at Evan's speechless expression. "Did you even notice when my magical trap was sprung?"

He slammed his rod into the ground, vaporizing the bodies of the soldiers in puffs of black smoke. Evan could not think of what to say. Luminous had been irritating, which made it so easy for him to boost his own self-image in comparison. But now he saw that Luminous was no fool, and had more than enough intelligence to back his arrogance. Was he right about Evan and Freud too?

As if reading his mind, Luminous said, "I won't deny your place as Freud's successor. You are th master of an Onyx Dragon, after all. But don't think for a moment that you can take his place. Now, it's about time you headed back."

There it was - the truth revealed, Evan realized. It always came down to Freud, the greatest magician of his time. Freud, who had single-handedly united this motley band of heroes and led them against the greatest threat Maple World had ever known. Freud, whose shadow Evan still stood in, centuries after the man himself was gone. Hanging his head low, Evan turned to walk away, but stopped as a voice called out, "Lumi?" They turned to see a young woman in a a checkered dress walking towards them. She had soft, blonde hair and light blue eyes. In her hands, she carried a bouquet of freshly-picked yellow flowers.

"Lania, I told you to stay inside," Luminous said disapprovingly.

"Wow, a dragon!" Lania cried, ignoring the mage's remark. "You didn't tell me you were expecting guests! Hi there! Are you Lumi's friends?"

"...Lumi?" Evan thought.

"Did she just call him Lumi...?" Mir asked Evan telepathically.

"You must have come a long way!" Lania said warmly. "Come in, come in!"

"There's no need for that, Lania," Luminous said. "They were just leaving."

"Lumi! Don't be mean!" Lania said. "It's been a while since we had visitors."

"Lani-" he began.

"Luminous, be quiet!" Lania said, irritated by her friend's rudeness. "This is my house, and that makes them my visitors. Now please, come inside."

Evan and Mir had been grinning through the entire exchange, pleased to discover someone that could shut down the dogmatic magician so effectively. They felt no guilt by accepting Lania's generous hospitality.

"Excuse me, 'Lumi'," Evan said, smirking.

"How rude, 'Lumi'," Mir added, chortling as he followed Evan and Lania back into her house. Behind their backs, Luminous gave them a death glare, silently fuming.

"Luminous, what are you doing this late at night?" Lania asked.

It was close to midnight, and Lania had come downstairs for a drink of water when she found the mage sitting in candlelight on the desk, perusing through a set of old papers.

"I'm looking at what Freud left behind," Luminous said. "He said it was more important than the Seal Stones. Even I don't know what it is."

Lania pulled up a stool and sat next to Luminous. She didn't understand anything the mage had said, but she knew that it must be important if Luminous was so engrossed in it.

Resting her head on the mage, she asked, "If you're so curious about it, why don't you help Evan?" When he didn't respond, she continued, "We had interesting guests this morning. Both Evan and Mir seemed so good-hearted."

"Good intentions alone do not make a good magician, Lania," he said quietly.

She knew that he was thinking about the time he had destroyed their home and nearly killed her, when the darkness first awoke inside him. He had left her alone for months afterwards to find a way to contain his power, hoping that it would keep her safe. But even after mastering his new magic, he remained distant from Lania, hoping to keep her safe. He had built a Sentrobo security robot, and created a light barrier, but even that was not enough. Luminous had rushed home to find the Black Mage himself, who had possessed Lania's body and forced him to battle the girl. Though he drove the darkness out of her, it was a moment of realization for the mage. After that incident, Luminous decided to move in with the girl once again. She had already forgiven him, but she knew that Luminous still felt guilty about distancing himself and putting her in harm's way.

"Luminous, do you dislike Evan?" she asked suddenly. Evidently, it was the right question, for Luminous shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"It's not that," he began, pausing to think. After a moment, he sighed and continued. "Freud was... the only magician I could never keep up with. His shoes are not easily filled."

"Hehe. You say that, but you're going to help him, aren't you?" she smiled knowingly.

Luminous sighed, knowing that he couldn't contradict Lania. "I have little interest in fighting alongsdie that petty thief again," he said.

"Pfft. Was that the problem all along?" Lania laughed.

"No," Luminous said, smiling. "The biggest problem is leaving you behind."

She laughed. "But you'll be back soon, right?"

"Yes. I'll strengthen the barrier before I leave," he assured.

"Haha, then I'll back the lunches!" she said cheerfully, bounding to the kitchen to make sandwiches in the dead of night.

* * *

Evan and Mir returned to Ereve, where they filled in Neinheart, the strategist of the Alliance, on the results of their mission. Neinheart was neither tall nor imposing, but he was perhaps the most resourceful and shrewd people in Maple World. It was he who discovered Empress Cygnus, the lost descendent of Empress Aria, and helped her ascend to the throne of Ereve, though he rarely spoke of it anymore. Hardly anyone knew of his humble beginnings in Rien, and the details of his relationship with his estranged sister, Lilin. No one -not even Cygnus - knew the full details of what had happened between them, which he believed was for the best. His duty was to serve Ereve and the Alliance, and being caught up in the past was not tactically beneficial to what he did. Perhaps that was why he seemed to make himself aloof, Evan thought. It was impossible to read his monocled eyes, which constantly waxed in and out of focus as Evan briefed him on the details of his mission.

"...I see. Have you spoken with everyone then?" Neinheart asked, continuing before Evan had the chance to respond. "A great deal happened while you were gone. The demon army surprised us by striking Rien rather than southern Leafre. I've redistributed the Alliance's forces to address a threat at the western front in Ossyria. We were able to quickly address the situation thanks to your report. But above all else..." He paused to readjust his monocle and looked Evan directly in the eye. "I thank you for saving my sister. Lilin would still be a captive of the demon army if it weren't for you and your friends."

Evan smiled and nodded. "What will the Alliance do now?" he asked.

"We remain alert to the enemy presence, and we are taking the necessary precautions. I'm sorry about Afrien, but if we are to minimize the loss of life, we must avoid a full scale war at all costs," Neinheart said firmly.

"...I understand," Evan said. He was disappointed that the Alliance would not avenge Afrien through war, but he realized that Neinheart was right. The only way to put a complete end to Damien's plan was by following Freud's directions.

"So, where will you go now?" Neinheart asked.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't tell anyone who isn't coming with us," Evan said apologetically.

"That's right," Mir added. "Afrien risked his life to keep it a secret."

"I see," Neinheart said, smiling strangely. "Well, if one happened to be traveling somewhere hot, it would be a good idea to bring a sufficient amount of water."

"H-how did you know?" Evan and Mir asked in unison.

Neinheart smiled. "To a watchful eye, there are no secrets. Learning of your aims would be no more difficult than discovering which documents you accessed from Ereve's library. But know this," he continued seriously. "Your opponent is not to be taken lightly. And if I was able to discover your plans, the enemy can too."

"...yeah, I'll keep that in mind," Evan said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head in embarressment.

"I hope you find what you're after," Neinheart said gravely.

* * *

It had been years since he had come to Leafre. The remains of the house were still intact, as it was in such a secluded part of the forest that no trespasser could stumble across it. So when he heard news that someone was in the area, the Demon rushed there in an instant. Sure enough, he discovered a brigade of demon soldiers near the ruins of the house, led by a cloaked figure - the one whose trail he had been chasing for weeks. The man was a new commander of the Black Mage, he was sure of it. But this commander seemed different - almost familiar. And for some reason, the Demon had a sneaking suspicion that the commander knew him.

As if he sensed the Demon's approach, the commander turned to face him, just as the Demon summoned a torrent of demonic power, unleashing it in the form of black ravens. The ravens easily tore through the demon soldiers, making them drop dead instantly. The Demon calmly walked forward towards the hooded figure, who grinned underneath his cloak.

"You're as strong as I expected," he said, his voice eerily familiar. "To crush so many in a single strike."

"By what rights do you trespass upon my family's private land?" the Demon asked sharply. "I know that you are a demon, though I have not sensed among even the purebloods an aura so powerful as yours."

The commander did not speak, but the Demon could feel his eyes watching him intently. Who was this man, and why did he feel so familiar? The Demon pointed his weapon - an azure-gemmed scepter refitted as a sharp axe.

"Do not think to flee, Commander," the Demon cried. "On this day, I will unmask you at last!"

The commander paused, as though considering his options. But after a moment, he raised his hand and lifted his hood, revealing a face that sent a thousand cold knives through the Demon's heart. He had grown older, but the features were all there: the missing left eye, the scruffy hair, and a red scarf wrapped around his neck - the same scarf that the Demon had given him on his fifth birthday. But it was impossible - he had seen the burning house collapse. No one could have escaped the wreckage. And yet, his brother stood before him in painful daylight.

"Damien...?" he asked softly.

"...brother," the man greeted.

"You still live!" he whispered loudly, walking forward with his hand outstretched. He needed to make sure it was not an illusion - that it was not some horrendous illusion from painful memories and broken dreams. But Damien took steps backwards as his brother approached closer.

"Why do you flee from me, Damien?" he asked, hurt and confused. "Do my eyes deceive me?"

"I-I don't deserve to see you... not yet," Damien responded, his voice cracking.

"What are you saying, brother?" the Demon asked.

"Mother's death all those years ago - it was my fault," Damien admitted, tears brimming in his crimson eyes. An invisible force seemed to keep the Demon rooted to the spot, whose mind raced in shock and confusion. His mind flashed back to that evil night. He was sitting in Von Leon's castle during a commander's meeting, when learned of the Black Mage's treachery from none other than Arkarium. He rushed back to Leafre, overwhelmed by sheer terror. He saw the smoke miles before he arrived at the smoldering ruins of the house, burning so strongly that he could not even go inside to search for the bodies as proof. He had always assumed that Mother and Damien had perished inside the burning house, their bodies charred and turned into ash. He had blamed Arkarium and the Black Mage, but all his presumptions had shattered at Damien's words.

"That day..." he whispered. "You are the one who destroyed our home?"

"Centuries ago - after you left us to fight in the war - our home was attacked. And then, my power finally awakened. But mother... she was caught in the blast."

But it was not his fault, the Demon thought frantically. They had always thought that Damien took after their human mother, while the Demon was more like his father. Damien had been born without wings or powers, making him a target for the purebloods who tormented him for his weakness. The Demon's powers had awakened while defending his brother from a particularly brutal attack, which took Damien's left eye. With his newfound strength, he became an impenetrable shield for Mother and Damien, and he fought his way through Tynerum to bring them to Leafre, where they would be safe from the purebloods. When he heard news of the Black Mage's conquest, he offered his loyalty in exchange for power and protection for his family. But the Black Mage betrayed him, and he lost everything.

"But we don't need to suffer any longer, brother!" Damien said. "I'll make everything the way it was before."

"...so you swore your allegiance to the Black Mage in pursuit of the power to undo what happened that day?" the Demon asked. The pieces were coming together, but he could not believe what he was hearing.

"That's right," Damien said eagerly, pleased that his brother seemed to understand what he was doing. He hesitated before saying, "Listen, I know I have no right to say this, but... join me, brother! Fight by my side! Renounce those stupid human betrayers. We'll bring mother back, and create a world for demons alone!"

He knew that voice. It was the voice of someone intoxicated by false promises of power and conquest. It was maniacal and unhinged, so unlike the innocent child who once tried to follow his brother into battle, unwilling to be left alone for months again.

"You and I: we are both bound by the shackles of the past," the Demon said sadly.

"...brother?" Damien asked, shocked by this unexpected response.

"You must stop this foolish crusade, Damien," the Demon said firmly. "I can only imagine the pain you have been in, shouldering your guilt alone these past centuries. But accepting the Black Mage's power will only destroy you, or drive you mad. This is not the way to honor our mother's memory!"

"What are you saying? You were once the Black Mage's most loyal commander," Damien said, confused by his brother's behavior.

"I served the Black Mage because I once believed in his aims, but never did I covet that forbidden power," he explained.

"...of course. You never had to. You were born with power," Damien said bitterly.

"Damien, there is no sin or shame in weakness. Do not let your guilt lead you down the wrong path," he pleaded.

"I'm not weak anymore!" Damien suddenly roared.

"Listen to me, Damien: what happened to Mother was not your fault!" the Demon yelled, as though the force of his words alone would break the cloud of guilt hanging over Damien's head.

"Her fate is as much my fault as the fate of our people was yours," Damien spat viciously. "Do you even know the humiliation we went through after you lost the war? Just because you helped the Black Mage, all of our people were exiled from Leafre. They sent us to Tynerum! You remember it, don't you? The only law of Tynerum is the law of might! The right to live must be proven, through strength!"

He remembered Tynerum all too well. After all, he was the one responsible for leading his family, and a handful of low-caste demons, on their exodus to a safer home. But even now, he remembered the nightmarish land as Damien described it.

"We suffered at the hands of our own people! We were beaten and whipped daily, forced to work until our arms and legs wouldn't move! Anyone who got sick was cast aside, like trash, and all we had to eat were scraps of bread!"

And this was the fate he had condemned his fellow Asmodians to - the ones whom he had led out of Tynerum were sent back to that hellhole once more. Had Damien, too, been forced to go with them? Or did he resist and flee with his newfound power? Regardless, the others had their fates sealed.

"...all of that is my fault," the Demon admitted. "But it is my responsibility to make things right - not yours."

"You're wrong! You don't know what I've had to do to survive all these years," Damien shouted. "But I'm going to make it all right. I'll accomplish what you were never able to."

"Listen, Damien!" the Demon said, his voice drowning out the sounds of the forest. "The Black Mage's power will eventually destroy you!"

"I don't care if my body breaks."

And at these words, something snapped inside the Demon. He rushed forward with blinding speed, pinning his brother against the charred wall of their broken home. He wanted to scream endlessly at his brother. He wanted his voice to reverberate through Damien and force him to listen to reason, to cast aside this foolish, self-harming crusade that would take him away from the Demon a second, final, time.

"Correcting the mistakes of the past is my burden alone," he seethed. His eyes burned with furious tears. " I beg of you..."

"Brother, this is the only way that I know," Damien whispered, almost helplessly.

"It's not too late! You can still stop this!" the Demon shouted, his voice straining.

"You're too late, brother. It's too late for everything," Damien said. "This is the only choice I have left."

The Demon suddenly felt dark power flooding through his brother's body. The eye-like emblem that decorated the gauze over his broken left eye began to glow a burning red. At once, an overwhelming surge of energy blasted the Demon away from Damien, knocking him savagely onto the ground. Everything was becoming black, and Damien's voice was growing muffled as he began to lose consciousness.

"You know the rules of our people. We don't interfere in each other's fights. This war is _my_ fight. Stay out of it."

Damien approached his brother, who was nearly blacked out. He crouched and whispered in his ear, "I wanted to see you, brother. Please... don't hate me,"

The Demon wanted to say something - anything to stop Damien from walking away. But his mind was being consumed by a painful darkness, and Damien was long gone even before he fell unconscious.


End file.
